Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Hakata Ippudo

Having developed a taste for ramen in milky pork bone broth when I lived in Bangkok, I'm always on the lookout for good Japanese restaurants that serve this comfort food. An American friend introduced me to Hakata Ippudo in Causeway Bay(2F, 8 Russell Street, Causeway Bay). She had eaten at the Ippudo in New York City and was pleased to find Ippudo in Hong Kong. This Japanese chain which can now be found globally does not disappoint and remains one of my favourites ramen restaurants in Hong Kong. They have restaurants in Central (3F, Century Square, 1-13, D'Aquilar Street) and Tsim Sha Tsui (2F, SilverCord, 30 Canton Road).

For the mother of all ramen dishes, try the Akamaru Shinaji ramen, its latest signature dish which has a really flavorful pork bone broth and comes with soft-boiled egg, char siu, seaweed, black fungus, bamboo shoots and bean sprouts.

On a recent trip to Tokyo earlier this year, I was determined to check out the Ippudo in its home country. After getting lost for a while and asking for directions from numerous people, I finally managed to find the Ippudo in Ginza. Unlike the spacious, up-market branches in HK, the Ippudo in Ginza is a typical Japanese ramen shop. Located in a small basement, there are a handful of counter seating and a few tables. I love it as this is what I remember of the other ramen shops we ate in our previous trip to Japan. In Japan, the Ippudo provides complimentary appetizers such as the spicy bean sprout, which is chargable in the Hong Kong branches. However, I am pleased to say that the quality of the food in Hong Kong is on par with the Japanese locations. I think it's time for a visit to Ippudo soon!